Those Who Play, and Those Who Sing
by xAriesx
Summary: "Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things." Tom Petty


"Mako."

…

"Mako."

…

"Mako!"

Bolin shook his brothers rigid body roughly, stirring the firebender from his dead-like sleep.

The firebender instantly was up on his feet, ready with a battle stance.

"What? Is someone stealing from us?"

He looked around frantically for the suspect.

Mako was surprised in himself to have had actually got some sleep. Being on the streets, there was no time for such a luxurious activity. It had been… three? Maybe four days since he had last slept. Bolin, who was more than well rested, promised to keep watch. Both of the young boys couldn't just fall asleep simultaneously, that was too much of a risk to bear. As little as they had, they still had some things to keep a hold on.

For one, other homeless peers would love to get their equally filthy hands on Mako's scarf, (or lack thereof.) Really, it was his father's. But he's gone now…

He couldn't imagine all of the kids around here who would hoard the red fabric during the Winter months. Even little bits of extra clothing helped, more than people would think.

Another thing that would be worthy of stealing was his his hideously dirty gloves, in which he had found in the dumpster a few streets over. Those would have been a blessing to their peers, also.

"Nah, but look what I found!" An eight-year-old Bolin pulled something out from behind his back.

"Bolin," Mako sighed, relaxing and slumping against the stained wall behind him, "you shouldn't have left. What if someone actually did rob us?"

"I only went a few a few blocks that way!" Bolin exclaimed, pointing his dirty finger in the opposite direction of their home behind a specific dumpster.

"Don't ever leave again." Mako threatened.

"Fine. But look, Mako!" Bolin's dampened spirit soon rose to the clouds again.

Mako took an uninterested look to the object that his younger brother held. It looked to be a long wooden piece, three or four holes decorating the top.

"What is it?" Mako asked. He didn't exactly have time to indulge in selfish pleasures of life, seeing as surviving was top priority.

"It's an instrument! I don't remember what it's called… shak- shaku- hachi? Shakuhachi, I think." Bolin looked up to his ten-year-old brother, excited to gift him with information.

"Seriously? You snuck away in the dead of midnight to go find an instrument?"

Spirits, Mako always seemed to miss the point.

"No! I just got kinda bored, ya know? And then, I decided to go stroll by the garbage, just one, because I have heard _that one_ always had good things in it. And they were right!" Bolin pushed the object further up to Mako, silently begging him to accept it.

Mako grumbled, squeezing his arms together as a cold wind blew by. It was nearing the end of Autumn, and the strokes of Winter were beginning to come alive. Winters in Republic City had always been cruel, unforgiving, and bitterly cold. So much so that the brothers were sure they would die a few nights.

He looked up to his brother, who was beginning to close his mouth in on the mouthpiece.

"Don't put that in your mouth." Mako said. Becoming sick was also not something they could not afford.

"Then clean it!" Bolin demanded harshly, throwing the wooden instrument in his lap.

"Hey!" Mako cried.

Mako sighed, realising his brother was not going to give this up.

He took the canteen that was placed next to him, dumping some of it over the mouthpiece. He then took a fresh, (as could be), part of his scarf and wiped the dirt away from it.

"Here." Mako remarked bitterly, shoving the object back at his brother.

Bolin took a few seconds to compose which fingers would go over each hole, blowing on the instrument lightly. It created a mediocre-pitched sound, which bounced off the walls all around them, and made it's journey down the rest of the alleyway as it echoed back and forth.

Bolin tried different patterns with his fingers, and each sound added to Mako's headache.

However, when Mako looked up, and saw a sort of… light shine in his baby brothers eyes, he would take a headache any day to see his brothers eyes light up like that.

His green eyes pierced the night with excitement and adoration for the instrument, and Mako vaguely remembered that's exactly how his eyes looked only hours before their parents deaths, as he was blowing candles out on a cake that was decorated with the number _six_ on it.

Mako pushed the memory out of his mind, composing his posture.

Bolin was now scratching at his dirty black hair, looking intently at the object. He had figured out how to make it work, now he needed to figure out how to make it sound good…

Bolin practiced everyday for years, even after the instrument had died down with life as pieces of it had started to break apart. Mako let him keep the annoying thing, and soon enough along the way Mako had realised Bolin actually got _good_.

"That song is good… What is it called?" The thirteen-year-old firebender asked his eleven-year-old brother one afternoon.

"I don't know… I just came up with it." Bolin admitted.

"Well, good job little bro." Mako said, ruffling his brothers hair.

It goes without saying that Bolin kept up with his musical abilities throughout the years. Except, when the brothers had got the attic space above the pro-bending arena, and had other matters to attend to, Bolin soon forgot about the object.

 **Five years later…**

"Well, aren't you going to give me the full tour?" Korra turned around to Mako, that damn cocky fucking smirk painted on her face. He couldn't wait 'till he could smack it off one day in practice.

He felt his personal space being invaded by bringing Korra up here for the first time.

He threw out his arms to the environment around him, "What is there to show? It's an attic!"

Korra shrugged and rolled her eyes, turning around to face the small space.

"Wow. Nice view." Korra said, going over to the window and leaning on her arms.

"Only good thing about living here." Mako said, running his hands through his hair.

"I doubt that." Korra said, turning her sight away from the view.

"Let me show you my room!" Bolin said excitedly, tugging on Korra's arm, making her stumble forward with him.

He flew open his door so fast the doorknob went straight through the drywall.

He cringed and turned his body slowly to Mako, whose eyes were burning with fire.

"I just patched up the last hole two months ago!" Mako yelled.

"Sorry, bro." Bolin continued to pull Korra into the room. Mako sighed, looking at the hole as he walked past.

"Here's my room, which is significantly superior to Mako's." Bolin said, throwing his arms out at the sight of his room.

Korra chuckled, "I bet it is."

Korra investigated the room, Bolin at her side showing her cool knick knacks that he had collected over the years.

"What's this?" Korra bent down and stood up with an instrument in her hand. A wooden one.

"Something that you shouldn't be touching." Mako remarked bitterly, stalking over to the young avatar and swiping the object from her grasp.

"Nah, it's okay, she can touch it." Bolin said, grabbing it from the hands of his brother and handing it back to Korra. Mako's cheeks blazed with anger and embarrassment.

"What it is?" Korra asked, twisting it in all sorts of directions.

"A Shakuhachi." Bolin beamed at Korra, reveling in pleasure that he now knew how to properly say the name.

"Know how to play?" Bolin asked.

Korra shook her head, her hair bouncing around in their bands.

"Let me show you." Bolin said, walking over and taking it.

He played a rather short tune that went up high in some parts, then extremely low in others. Mako soon recognized it as the song he had been building upon and perfecting for years, adjusting the tone, and sometimes even full parts of the song.

"You're really good at playing that!" Korra exclaimed, her blue eyes radiating excitement.

Bolin allowed the compliment to penetrate his ego, "Ah, I know."

"Oh! There is something else." Bolin quickly set the Shakuhachi on his bed, going over onto the other side of his bed and digging under it.

He hopped up onto his feet, bouncing over to Korra with giddy.

He showed her something that was a little bigger than his palm, black wood decorated around the ten strings.

Mako had gotten that for him for Bolin's fourteenth birthday. Bolin had practiced on it for a few days, however he soon put it away, not finding the time to practice it truly because they had _just_ gotten the ability to compete in that season's pro-bending tournament. They needed to focus on other things.

"I actually don't know how to play this." Bolin admitted.

"Oh, I do." Korra said.

Both of the brothers turned to the watertribe girl, slightly stunned.

"What? You city folk don't think us Water tribe folk jam out once in a while?" She taunted.

"Play it for us!" Bolin begged her, pulling her out of his bedroom and back into the cramped living room of the attic. He pushed her down on the couch and sat down next to her, shoving the hand-harp at her.

"Woah! Bolin, it mainly is just for background sound. You can't exactly play a song on this, I mean it only has ten different tunes." Korra started, fingering at the harp.

"So? Play anything you know!" Bolin said as Mako came and sat down on the couch next to her. (Not too close, though.)

"Okay…" Korra said hesitantly. She thought for a few seconds, then prepared her fingers, stretching them above the instrument before plucking at one. Then, another. Another, another, another…

At first or started off slow, but the anticipation built, soon leading to seven of the ten strings being plucked at once. It started to actually become a song, and Mako enjoyed it more than he would admit.

All the while this was going on, Mako noticed a little hum that was vibrating in the back of her throat. It made it sound that much more harmonious.

Sadly, her fingers stopped plucking at the cords. She looked up to her friends, searching for approval.

"That was awesome!" Bolin exclaimed.

"That had lyrics, didn't it?" Mako simply asked. He was not one to hand out approval and praise.

Korra whipped her head around him, and he was surprised her hair didn't smack him in the face.

"Uhm, yeah. How did you know?" Korra asked, growing nervous.

 _Ha, the queen-bitch, smirking Avatar is nervous._

Mako snickered, "I didn't, you just told me. You were also humming."

Korra gave a face that spoke of _if-you-don't-shut-up-I-will-murder-you-in-your-sleep._

Korra coughed uncomfortably.

"Well, why don't you sing it?" Mako asked, smirking the most he ever had before.

Bolin instantly rallied behind the idea.

"Yeah! Sing it Korra! Sing it! Sing it!"

"My voice isn't even that good, trust me you don't want to listen." Korra said.

"Probably not, but even so, it will be entertaining." Mako ushered.

Korra groaned.

"Pretty please, Korra? I vow Pabu and I will not judge on anything, but I can't make any promises for the brooding teenager over here." Bolin said, using his thumb to point at his brother.

"I don't brood." Mako said, smacking his brother's hand away.

"Yeah, _sure you don't."_ Korra sarcastically interjected. She would, of course, grab at any chance she could to make fun of the firebender. She was also pretty happy the spotlight was being pointed off of her.

"So, will you Korra?" Bolin looked back at Korra.

The spotlight was right back on her.

Korra gave another disapproving groan once again, dropping her head in her hands.

"Fine. Fine, fine!" Korra said, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically.

"Yay!"

She readied herself, and began to pluck at the strings again.

" _Taking over this town, they should worry…"_

Both of the brother's jaw dropped at the sound of her voice. They expected nothing like this…

Mako expected something of a screech of a cat-owl.

Instead, he was met with an amazing honeyed version of a voice.

Her singing voice, which contrasted to her alto-like regular voice, was actually perfectly in the middle between a soprano and an alto.

It was… beautiful.

" _But these problems aside I think I taught you well…"_

Each word she spoke sent prickles of electricity coursing through his body, and it strangely was different from when he bends lightning.

" _Howling ghost they reappear, in mountains that are stacked with fear…_

 _But you're a king and I'm a Lionheart._

 _And in the sea that's painted black,_

 _Creatures lurk below the deck._

 _But you're a king and I'm a Lionheart._

 _And as the world comes to an end,_

 _I'll be here to hold your hand,_

' _Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart.."_

Her voice trailed off as her fingers plucked at the remaining notes, finishing the song off.

 _Pure silence._

"Th-that was awesome! Who knew you can sing!" Bolin exclaimed.

Korra shrugged, nails still lightly plucking at random strings.

"No, really, that was amazing!" Bolin said once again.

"Seriously, that _was_ pretty amazing…" Mako agreed.

Korra whipped her head around to him once again, "Wow, who knew city boy over here could give a compliment other than 'not bad'!"

Mako grumbled, sinking back into the chair and crossing his legs.

"Don't brood now, fireboy." Korra ruffled his hair, and he was ashamed to say it actually hurt.

"I. Don't. Brood." Mako huffed.

Korra rolled her eyes.

"Korra, you should go to into one of those music businesses where you sign and get tons of money and stuff!"

"What!" Korra cried, shaking her head vigorously.

"No!"

Bolin and Korra talked about music for the rest of the night, Mako listening along the way. And he was sure, right before he fell asleep, he could hear the voice of Korra's singing again…

" _But you're a king and I'm a lionheart…"_

.

.

.

 _I honestly don't know if I should be proud of this or not, I wrote this, like I write everything else, on a whim. I think I should punch myself, and kiss myself. I'll let you know when I pick which one I should do._

 _I actually have entertained at the idea that Korra could sing for a little bit. And by a little bit I mean a long time. Like for two years. Kiss, marry, or kill me, whatever you feel like doing._

 _The song I actually only heard a few days ago, and now I am hooked on it and it has become my favorite song on all of earth, even though this fucking song came out all the way back in 2012, and I am just now hearing it in 2018. I literally don't hear about anything good until years later. It's exactly the same with LOK, it ended all the way back in December of 2014, and I only started watching it in 2016. However, that could be due to the fact that every Saturday morning it would come on, I would switch it to something else because honestly I was not interested in it AT ALL back then._

 _Now, look at me, completely obsessed with the show and writing fanfictions on it like a freak. Oh, how things change…_

 _Reviewing would be so gracious!_

 _Song~ King and Lionheart by Monsters and Men_


End file.
